Students have about 30-40 periods of 45 minutes each per week (depending on year and state), but especially secondary schools today switch to 90 minutes lessons (Block) which count as two 'traditional' lessons. To manage classes that are taught three or five lessons per week there are two common ways. At some schools teaching 90 minutes periods there is still one 45-minute lesson each day, mostly between the first two blocks; at other schools those subjects are taught in weekly or termly rotations. There are about 12 compulsory subjects: up to three foreign languages (the first one is often already taken in primary school, the second one beginning in 6th or 7th grade, another is taken somewhen between 7th and 11th grade), physics, biology, chemistry, civics/social/political studies, history, geography (starting between 5th and 7th grade), mathematics, music, visual arts, German, PE and religious education/ethics (to be taken from primary school on). The range of offered afternoon activities is different from school to school however, most German schools offer choirs or orchestras, sometimes sports, theater or languages. Many of these are offered as semi-scholastic AG's (Arbeitsgemeinschaften - literally "working groups"), which are mentioned, but not officially graded in students' reports. Other common extracurricular activities are organized as private clubs, which are very popular in Germany.
| English | Physics | Biology | Physics | Greek |
| History | English | Chemistry | Mathematics | Chemistry |
| break | ||||
| Latin | Greek | Mathematics | Latin | Economics |
| German | Geography | Religious studies | Greek | German |
| break | ||||
| Music | Mathematics | Geography | German | Biology |
| Religious studies | Civic education | Economics | English | Latin |
| break | ||||
| Arts | Intensive course | |||
| Intensive course | Greek | |||
| PE | ||||
| PE | ||||
There are three blocks of lessons where each lesson takes 45 minutes. After each block, there is a break of 15-20 minutes, also after the 6th lesson (the number of lessons changes from year to year, so it's possible that one would be in school until 4 o'clock). "Nebenfächer" (= minor fields of study) are taught two times a week, "Hauptfächer" (=major subjects) are taught three times.
In grades 11-13, 11-12, or 12-13 (depending on the school system), each student majors in two or three subjects ("Leistungskurse"). These are usually taught five lessons per week. The other subjects ("Grundkurse") are usually taught three periods per week.
| English | Religious studies | French | Physics | German |
| English | Religious studies | French | Physics | German |
| German | Geography/Social Studies (taught in English) | Mathematics | Geography/Social Studies (taught in English) | Mathematics |
| German | Geography/Social Studies (taught in English) | Mathematics | Geography/Social Studies (taught in English) | Mathematics |
| Physics | Politics-Economy | History | English | French |
| Physics | Politics-Economy | History | English | French |
| Arts | "Seminarfach"+ | History | PE (different sports offered as courses) | |
| Arts | "Seminarfach"+ | History | PE (different sports offered as courses) |
+"Seminarfach" is a compulsory class in which each student is prepared to turn in his/her own research paper at the end of the semester. The class is supposed to train the students' scientific research skills that will be necessary in their later university life.
There are huge differences between the 16 states of Germany having alternatives to this basic pattern such as Waldorfschulen or other private schools. Adults can also go back to evening school and take the Abitur exam.